Turtle Power

Recent rains have raised the level of our lake dramatically - in fact, after the eight inches of rain we got in just three days a few weeks ago, the water was well up over the banks and we were considering building an ark. The animals of My Florida Backyard didn't really seem to mind, though, especially the ducks and the turtles. In fact, the turtles have been taking advantage of the high water level to climb out on the banks for some sun.

The turtle on the left is a Florida Softshell Turtle (Apalone ferox), whose carapace (or shell) is almost leathery in texture - very tough but flexible. Softshell turtles are pretty large, topping out around 30 inches, and have very long necks. They are amazingly fast on both water and land. They're shy around humans, so if one is up on the bank when you approach, you're likely to see it shoot back into the water at an almost alarming speed. Florida softshell turtles are carnivorous, with a diet made up of fish, frogs, and even ducklings. Over the last few springs, we've had a female soft shell turtle emerge onto land in our backyard to lay eggs - click here for details and video.

The other turtle is a Red-Bellied Cooter (Pseudemys nelsoni), another very common Florida freshwater turtle. This turtle is an herbivore, helping to keep lakes clean of algae and other plant matter. This turtle spends much of its time on land or on logs, basking in the sun. We frequently see them swimming along in the lake with just their heads poking out - so fun to watch.

Living on a lake gives us such a wide diversity of like to appreciate in My Florida Backyard, and turtles like these are great examples of those treasures.

Dig It

On a sunny day in May, this Florida soft-shelled turtle wandered up into My Florida Backyard from the lake. She visited a few times throughout the morning, and in early afternoon, finally decided the time and place were right.



So, she began to dig.


In slow steady strokes, she used her strong hind legs to dig a deep hole in the sandy soil. She worked for nearly 20 minutes, laboring under the hot sun.

Then, for about 10 minutes, she sat fairly still, though if you watched closely, you could see her straining and shifting from time to time. My research tells me she laid "9 - 24 brittle, white, spherical eggs". When she finished, she scratched in the soil again to cover them, and then returned to the lake with unbelievable speed.

We knew what would happen next, although we did try to fight it off by covering the site for a few minutes and then watering it down to wash away some of the smell. But the crows had been hovering the entire time, and the turtle eggs didn't really have a chance.


In a few minutes, the nest hole was all that was left, crawling with fire ants. It's surprisingly deep and narrow, although sadly empty.

Some people say there are no seasons in Florida, but springtime here in My Florida Backyard seems to bring out the same behavior you'd see in wildlife anywhere this time of year!




P.S. For those who've been following the saga of the baby ducks: we're down to two now, after a red-tailed hawk captured one on Wednesday. The remaining two are holding strong, though, and we have high hopes for them!